DEVELOPMENTS AT NIST Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a number of new devices and methods involving a variety of techniques. In certain cases, other parties have participated in the development of these technologies. NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with interested parties to perform further research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. NIST may grant CRADA Partners an option to negotiate for exclusive licenses to any jointly owned inventions which arise from the CRADA as well as an option to negotiate for exclusive royalty-bearing licenses for NIST employee inventions which arise from the CRADA. Anyone interested in the further development of any of these technologies or in applying for a license to commercialize these technologies should send a written request for further information, referencing the NIST Docket Number and Title, to: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, Building 820, Room 213, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899; Telecopy: 301-869-2751. This is not an announcement of a contract action or a grant. NIST DOCKET NUMBER: 99-015PA, Title: WDM-Based All-Optical Header Recognition and Multi-Port Routing Device, Description: This invention describes an all-optical multi-port self-routing method that can significantly reduce speed bottleneck and latency in high speed optical communications. A compact, low cost, practical device is proposed that has a high speed simultaneous multi-port self-routing capability. The number of ports can be scaled up to 100 output channels and no buffer is required -- comparison is done at the speed of light without a need for extra waiting time that can cause serious speed bottleneck. Time synchronization, bit alignment is not required as comparison is done asynchronously in a parallel fashion. The self-routing device is input singal format independent since the routing is achieved asynchronously without waiting, any signals (SONET,ATM, etc.) can be routed efficiently. NIST DOCKET NUMBER 99-021PA, Title: A Rotating-Wheel Refreshable Braille Reader, Description: This invention would produce computer-refreshable Braille text for tactile reading by the blink and visually impaired, thus improving accessibility to computer services such as electronic books, e-mail and other network access, and general computer use. Cost and mechanical reliability are the two main impediments to widespread use of refreshable Braille devices. This device utilizes a rotating-wheel and is designed to be mechanically simpler than existing refreshable. Braille devices, while providing much of their functionality as well as additional features. It is believed that this design will allow for greatly lowered cost and improved reliability in comparison to existing systems. It is believed that this device can be implemented in such a way as to provide refreshable Braille text to the user at a "typical" reading rate of 125 words per minute, and also at a "high"reading rateof 250 words per minute. NIST DOCKET NUMBER 99-024PA, Title: Shear Stabilization of Gels for Use in the Sol-Gel Process, Description: NIST Researchers have developed a process that indefinitely stabilizes a sol after gel initiation. The process allows gel products to be manufactured in much larger batches thus improving product uniformity and decreasing manufacturing costs. The process is based on the discovery that a solution (sol) of colloidal silica, which has had its chemistry altered so as to initiate a gelation reaction and subjected to a constant shear, will at first experience an increase in viscosity but later the viscosity will fall to an intermediate value which can apparently be held for an indefinite period of time. Once the shearing is halted, the "stabilized" sol will form a gel. This unexpected behavior can be used to improve manufacturing processes based on sol-gel technology. The invention is available for commercial use without a license from NIST. Contact Person: Kim Emswiler at (301)975-4188. WEB: NIST Contracts Homepage, http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. E-MAIL: NIST Contracts Office, Contract@nist.gov. Posted 10/04/99 (W-SN387973).

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